Killdeer Time

May 14, 2008 — Bryan

It’s time once again for the killdeer to lay their eggs. These are some pretty cool birds. They lay their eggs on the ground–creating a slight depression to hold the eggs. They often lay the eggs in gravel or near a dirt road. The eggs almost look like rocks and can be difficult to spot. Here is the nest I ran onto this evening:

Obviously having a nest on the ground can be dangerous and very susceptible to predators. However, the killdeer have an answer for this. As you (or a predator) approaches, mom will run from the nest. Then she will suddenly fake a broken wing (to entice the predator). As you follow her, she always stays just a step ahead, though it appears that she can barely walk, let alone fly. When she feels that you are far enough away from the nest, she will fly off.